Hori Unveils Another Nintendo Switch Headset for July, With Plenty of Wires

Wow. Tangled

and the can of worms has been officially reopened!

COME ON NINTENDO! you already have Bluetooth controllers, it's not that difficult to integrate headphones and microphone connectivity

I'll just keep discord opened on my phone and put everyone on speaker.

I have a very limited want for headphone/mic on any online game. After the mid 2000s being exposed to ten year olds screaming about everything on CoD I have no desire to communicate with any competetive gamer via voice. Hope a more elegant solution comes to those interested in such a thing though.

Let's just ignore this and hope for a Discord app..

These are the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. That top image symbolises everything that is wrong with Nintendo...

I've always preferred wires, even if they do tangle.

@WiltonRoots More like a can of cords and wires.

Another convoluted spaghetti junction mess. So unnecessary. The headphones themselves look alright, though the earpieces look like they're made of some kind of styrofoam. That won't be good long-term.

Don't forget if you use an iphone you'll need a 3.5mm to lightning adapter in the mix too

What a bloody mess

(going to bypass the WTF is this setup complaint, we've flogged that to death)

Why don't they add a phone mount to the "connector box" It'll be weighty true, but at least you won't have two separate weights on the end of the wires.

Also, couldn't the box at least connect via Bluetooth?

Judging from that top infographic it only works with Pac-man so nothing to worry about.

I'm guessing the same people who decided on the "pay-to-play-online-with-voice-chat-but-only-if-you-bring-your-own-smartphone" idea also created My Nintendo.

@WiltonRoots More like a wormhole.

Nintendo....this is an embarrassing joke and should be buried along with the Virtual Boy and those CDI Zelda games too

SEE if you want to moan about something moan about this. THIS IS AWFUL!!!

But about shortages, sales and whatnot let Nintendo run their own business.

@shaneoh oh come on!!!

Remember all those troubles you had when you could just connect your headset to your system and/or controller?
No?
Me either.

I have just been using my Sony ps4 set. Granted I haven't tried docked mode with the dongle yet. Guess I know what I'm doing when I get home.

This looks like a real mess. I hope there's an actual reason for all these wires rather than Nintendo just being Nintendo. Seriously tho, this isn't making me too optimistic about Nintendo Online Infrastructure.

Never been a big fan of headsets... I just never find them comfortable... If I do want to use the voice chat, I'll probably just sit my phone on the table beside me while I play.

Isn't it usually enough to just have the game sound from your TV setup and plug earphones into the smartphone for chat? I think that's how I've played 360/PS4 online most of the time. (But earphones in the controller, of course.)

@thoolihan ?? Umm... no.... if you have an iphone that only has a lightning connector, it comes with an adaptor in the iphone box.. People literally been complaining about this since the media made a big deal about it but the adaptor which is tiny, is in the box.

Welcome to 1996!

Thank goodness I'll probably never use voice chat. One of my friends are I interested in video games, and I have no interest in chatting with total strangers.

I'm not really sure where all the complaining about the wires comes from specifically about the headset designs. It's one extra wire than a typical headset. Knowing that the phone is required for Switch, one extra wire would obviously be required. I know a lot of people dislike the phone thing, but does every headset that adds the required wire to use that feature need to be complained about when the headset is doing what it does?

I don't do voice chat, so I don't really care, not into random discussions with annoying strangers without getting paid for it, but it would be nice to read headset conversations about the headsets anyway

It's gas, it's like Nintendo DON'T want you to voice chat.

It's a bit ridiculous TBH. Mess of wires. I know they are a family friendly company. But ya can't stop kids from being little s#!ts online, thats why they go to Xbox ps and PC.

Personally I don't care for online chat, so not bothered at all, it's more the youngins

Nintendo have just announced their state-of-the-art gaming headset! Check it out:

My guess is that, the mobile phone functionality is to censore any foul words. It goes like dud and if you're swearing continuously, everyone in the team will hear continuous dudududududdddd ududududududududuudududud dduuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuddddddddddddddddddddddududuudud udduuududududdddddddddddddddddddddUuuuuDuDUDUUDUDUDUDUUDUDUDdddddddddduuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuddd sound.

I am never gonna buy this tangled mess. Nintendo, integrate VC into your stupid console. Thank you.

I sincerely hope Hori made an incorrect assumption in designing this product... that being that a headset would require to plug into both the phone and the system. Surely Nintendo would have designed it so that the system connects to the phone via Bluetooth, and all headset functions would require wired connection to only the phone... Its the only way this makes sense.

I'm glad I don't care about voice chat.

@Grawlog If there's no third pin on the headphone jack, reversing course isn't possible even if they did want to. The app has to happen.

I'm not a fan of voice chat in any way, and I'd rather it not exist on the console, like with WiiU, but even I can kind of dislike requiring a $500+ phone to use a feature in some games....even though I have one, I just dislike the idea of making people have really expensive other things....it's very exclusive for an otherwise very inclusive company. I'd have expected something like that from Microsoft, TBH "voice chat when used with a Nokia Windows 10 Phone."

@icerzerocool Whoa, I didn't know prinnies played, dood.

@daveh30 We don't know for sure yet but chances are all mic inputs on your phone will work. Including bluetooth headsets connected to the phone. These Hori headsets assume you want game AND voice in your headset, hence the design. You'll likely be able to just have game sound from the tv and then do something with your phone for voice chat.

A Grip accessory like this one from Nyko might provide a decent solution to the wire problem to be fair...

...might be workable.

Does anyone actually use online chat anymore? PC gamers for complicated tactical MMOs do I'm sure, but I can't think of many Nintendo games that would benefit from it enough to be worth Nintendo programming an internal system. Outsourcing it to a DeNA phone app saves time money and makes sure the 15 people who want to chat on Switch still have a way of doing it.

That's without going into Nintendo being terrified of voice chat directly through the console because of the children/potential bad language etc, so I think this choice makes sense in all honesty.

You could argue Splatoon 2 would benefit from voice chat but there aren't many others if any, and Splatoon 2 needs to be suitable for children so voice chat probably wouldn't be allowed anyway.

Console voice chat has been obsolete since Discord came out tbh.

Also there is this comment by Wolfgabe below:
"Remember people Reggie said this is just ONE solution not the only one"

But anything to panic over nothing am I right guys?

Remember people Reggie said this is just ONE solution not the only one

This is beyond stupid .

Shame on Hori for not adding bluetooth. I think console-->iPhone--> ear buds will be much cleaner.

@FTL You misunderstand my point. I'm not talking about having to buy one, I'm talking about all the stuff you have to keep handy and plug in to chat. Chat percentage is low even in multiplayer games on ps4/xb1 with much simpler setups. With this many items and wires (and an extra adapter for one of the world's most popular phones), you are going to see very low chat rates on switch. Not a great start for an area (voice chat) that Nintendo is already highly criticized for.

It's not that bad of a solution if we're honest.

Of course it's non-ideal, and maybe a bit cumbersome, but if you're playing somewhere where you can sit and have the equipment laying on tables and whatnot, then it's just a matter of connecting two cables, firing up the app and start playing.

@Alikan I think it depends a lot on the game, as well. Using PC games as an example, I've had that exact experience as well as the opposite - a bunch of kids screaming in COD4 (I've since abandoned that series), dead silence in Battlefield 1, and generally helpful conversation in Overwatch. I don't really know how or why some games cultivate more helpful communities, but depending on the game, I do enjoy public chat. I definitely hope there is an elegant solution for friends to chat, if nothing else.

@Moshugan I disagree entirely. This really is that bad. Sure, we can make do as you just mentioned, but I'm not really sure why we should have to. It's "that bad" simply because much better solutions exist, and have existed for over a decade. Nevermind the fact that it requires people to purchase a new headset specifically for the Switch, rather then reusing an existing headset some people may have.

Lol, this is about as convoluted as it gets. Quite the change from DS/3DS having everything built in, with headphones being optional. I wouldn't typically recommend buying gaming headsets, either, since most of them just use cheap drivers and pads despite their cost. Even the good ones usually just reuse components that can be found elsewhere for cheaper.

You want good phones, get studio reference ones, even the cheaper ones. You want a good mic, it needs to be built separately from the headphones, headsets almost invariably use low quality parts for the mic. And of course, the best quality connection is always wired. Wireless introduces interference, and lowers the quality of the experience. Wireless tech is often needed to facilitate an internet connection, but generally, the less wireless reliance the better.

I'm assuming if you're playing this in docked mode, that you can use your tv audio, and just use one earbud with your phone? kind of like the ps4 experience, but the earbud is plugged in your phone instead of your controller. This hori monstrosity would only be needed for portable gaming where you want audio in the earphones. Can anyone confirm if that is correct?

@roadrunner343 my elegant solution is my phone, but I'm a plebian like that, lol.

@Alikan Fair enough =) My elegant solution is to use my PC for any sort of team based cooperative gaming, but I realize that's not the case for most people. My switch is basically for single player and local co-op titles.

I'm just gonna leave this here guys...

New Nintendo Switch Online App Details Discovered by Dataminers
https://youtu.be/kAmFL60SeAM

That's three connected opportunities to yank a Switch off a table.

Maybe I'm not reading the diagram correctly, but how do you set this up in docked mode?

@NEStalgia nice one dood

@audiobrainiac A rebrand on the cards? 'Nintnedo' doesn't seem to have the same ring to it...

im pumped about getting this. we can all sit around and hate it but if u want to chat on the go this is the best thing for u. even at home laying in bed! this will turn out to be perfect for me

@Menchi187 even assuming you want game and chat audio on one headset though, there's no reason the phone shouldn't connect to the system via Bluetooth, and have all audio, game and chat, through the phone.

@abe_hikura I was thinking that as well. Or maybe have a built in slot on the headset for the phone? With this method you can bypass the connector box as well. Then the headset can be plugged into the console directly?

i think the designers like the original stealth fighter design too much.

@audiobrainiac Like @Joeynator3000 said... What if it's not a typo?

That looks like it'll be a mess

@RedMageLanakyn @PorllM "Console voice chat has been obsolete since Discord came out tbh."

I do think that's a huge part of this a lot of folks are missing. Nintendo is famous for "we didn't invent it here syndrome" and I think they're definitely trying to create a Nintendo Discord, or maybe Discord + Line, the popular messaging app in Japan. That's no doubt a big part of the decision.

Think again, Nintendo...

Nintendo: The Clunkier, the Better.

The practical solution is something so obvious that I'm already prepared for, a bluetooth headset paired with your phone. I mean thats all you need, mine are one of these LG Tone devices so that it rests comfortably around your neck like a necklace, but you can choose to just pop one headphone in so that you can still hear the game audio with your other ear. Why people are so up in arms about Nintendo's insistence to use a smartphone for in game chat when it can be accomplished so simply without clutter is beyond me. Then again I never use in game chat all that much anyway, so I probably wouldn't care if a simple solution like what I'm already capable of didn't exist.

SO. DUMB.

I mean, I think this one looks even better than the Splatoon themed one, it even has separate volume sliders for both phone and the Switch

I don't get the hate

@SamuFinland
I mean c'mon, I can watch a stream, voice chat and play on the Switch while all the audio is coming from the same headset.

It's not like Nintendo will come up with a way to make a normal 3.5mm headphone jack to only work on their mobile app, of course it can just be connected to the PC, making this thing a headset that can listen to audio from two sources at the same time

@Jessica286
What? Wired mic, wired headphones, wired keyboard, wired mouse, wired internet connection, wired controller, they're all fantastic.

@thoolihan Fair enough, I agree, it's a terrible setup -
I guess people could go with just the normal speaker sound from the TV/Switch but then have a one ear bluetooth headset/device from the phone - that would work and be tidy-ish right? Not great though.

Interestingly I read somewhere that Reggie said in relation to complaints about the cable mess, that these are just 3rd party ideas and not neccessarily the only way that will be available to do it - so here's hoping they change the bluetooth (which already exists) to work with headsets.

Bluetooth might add delay to the sound, especially if it needs channel mixing with voice chat from phone. As clunky as this thing is, I think it is the only workable solution to be able to enjoy voice chat while still able to listen to the in game sound, without introducing any delay.

Of course best solution will be having the Switch handle voice chat directly. Perhaps that is what Reggie hinted at.

I'll probably braid the wires so I don't lose them😛

Well if nothing else it'll be simple to have voice chat come from a different source than the game sound. Just use existing Switch home setup, add an Android tablet and some cheapo speakers and separate microphone, good to go right?

@PorllM Any online game that requires teamwork, be it competitive like Super Smash Bros, Splatoon or Arms, or any game that is co-op are way more fun with some kind of communication.

It's only one extra wire, not really a big deal. I think the arrows in the diagram make it more complex than it is.

@shaneoh I hope u r joking.

@Jessica286
Nope, wired is great.

Once again this silly set up is something Nintendo could fix with just software changes, it's something they are choosing not to fix.

And the change should be that the Switch does voice chat by itself, not that you use Bluetooth Headsets to make the silly 3 way with a phone less silly. Why should you have to beg to be slightly less inconvenienced when you shouldn't have to deal with this nonsense at all?

I don't mind wired headsets, but I certainly prefer a single wire setup, one running from my headset to the controller. Apologies to future teammates in Splatoon 2, but I will not support this madness and I shall continue to remain silent.

@brutalpanda is that why next to nobody is ever talking on headsets online on PS4 and Xbox One? Teamwork chat is a great idea but the vast majority of gamers don't want to use it

@MisterKorman I agree with that! one occurs many many times more often than the other though. Not saying it wouldn't be nice as an option. Just that I understand why it wasn't a priority for Nintendo. The simple UI of the switch shows they'd rather spend time on games when it came to getting switch to launch, and handing the chat off to DeNa is surely part of that. Could happen one day.

@MisterKorman I don't have a source to hand so don't take this as gospel but I heard DeNa were involved in the new Nintendo account system and also since they had been hired by Nintendo to create their phone games and apps, I assumed they had a big part of the chat system being an app.

Makes sense to me because I feel like Nintendo don't like spending a lot of time and money programming things that aren't games, so letting them take care of it would be a big load of their plate, if I'm making sense at all